Employers Ponder Same-Sex Benefits Questions
by Fred Jackson and Jenni Parker
March 25, 2004
(AgapePress) - Those who believe the homosexual marriage issue does not affect them may want to rethink their stand when its economic impact reaches their wallets.
Where the homosexual marriage issue may hit everyone soon is in the pocketbook, in the form of increased premiums for benefits offered by employers. USA Today reports that in some states, changes are already in the works, with some companies being required by law to offer benefits to employees' same-sex spouses.
The article points out that homosexual marriage introduces new questions and possible changes into the employee benefits discussion. For instance, if employers are required by law to offer benefits to married homosexual couples, companies that currently offer domestic partner benefits to unmarried same-sex couples may very well stop doing so, opting only to provide those benefits for married couples.
The issues employers are increasingly having to consider are myriad. Under changing laws, companies may be required to allow homosexual employees extra leave to care for an ill spouse. Also, employers will face questions about what to do when a homosexual employee gets married in a state where such unions are legal and then returns and requests benefit coverage.
And, of course, over time health insurance costs are bound to increase as more people are covered. Many conservatives have pointed to the fact that company health benefits costs could skyrocket because of the high incidence of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases among homosexuals. And when that happens, all workers will pay the price.
But as U.S. employers wrestle with the policy changes and the economic impact that appear to be on the horizon, pro-homosexual activists' nationwide movement to force same-sex marriage and spousal benefits on the public continues to spread.
One dispute over same-sex weddings in Portland, Oregon could put the issue of the homosexual marriage on the fast track to the state's Supreme Court. Three weeks ago, at the beginning of March, Multnomah County commissioners decided to begin granting the licenses to same-sex couples. That move set off a chain reaction of legal challenges culminating in a dispute that may come before the high court as early as next month.
The county's move to start issuing same-sex marriage licenses was not met with universal acceptance, even among public officials in the state. According to recent news reports, the American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit in Multnomah County Circuit Court on behalf of homosexual couples whose marriages were not recognized by Oregon's Office of Vital Statistics.
Numerous lawsuits have been brought by groups opposing homosexual marriage rights and benefits. Now, however, many of these groups and their supporters have consolidated their legal actions, agreeing that the ACLU's suit deals most directly with the constitutional issues involved.
Multnomah County includes much of metropolitan Portland. Since March it has been the only county in the state -- and the only part of the country -- issuing legal same-sex marriage licenses. However, a second Oregon county, Benton, has recently voted to join Multnomah in that distinction. Benton County commissioners voted 2-1 on Wednesday to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples starting next week.
